Device for dispensing drinking-straws.



G. MEREDITH. DEVICE FOR DISPENSING DRINKING STEAWS APPLICATION FILEDSEPT. 12, 1910.

Patented Mar. 14, 1911.

2 SHBBTE-BHEET 1.

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G. MEREDITH. DEVICE FOR DISPENSING DRINKING STBAWS APPLICATION FILED811F112, 1910.

Patented Mar. 14, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IQVE TOR WITNESSES ATTURNEYS In: nouns FEVER! an, WASNINGTON, n r

UNITE S'IA'I S ()FFICE.

GLENN MEREDITH, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 FINLEY ACKER,

OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

DEVICE FOR DISPENSING DRINKING-STRA'WS.

Application filed September 12. 1910.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To :11]. whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GLENN h lnnnorrii, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State ot Pennsylvania,have invented a new and uset'ul Device for Dispensing Drinking-Straws, lof which the following is a specification. My invention consists of adevice for disl pensing drinking-straws embodying a straw-reservoir orcontainer, certain sides of which act as jaws which primarily serve toprevent the escape of the straws and which may be opened to permit theeconomical withdrawal of the same, the straws being visibleii'itermediate of their ends, so that grasping or handling of the sameat said ends is avoided, and the sanitary condition of the straws ispreserved both in their insertion in the mouth and in a drinlo ingvessel.

For the purpose of explaining the invention, the accompanying drawingillustrates a satisfactory reduction of the same to practice, but theimportant instrumentalities thereof may be varied, and so it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to the specific arrangementand organization shown and described.

Figures 1 and 3 represent perspective views of devices for dispensingdrinkingstraws embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a centralvertical section on line :r-ar Fig. 1, showing in dotted lines a strawabout to be withdrawn from the container of the device. Fig. 4represents a vertical section on line yy Fig. 3.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in thefigures.

heferring to the drawings :-A designates a reservoir or container fordrinking straws, the same consisting of a boxshaped structure of thesides B B and ends C, and disposed in oblique position so that the undersides 13 converge toward the bottom, they being separated from the ends(3 and made resilient so that they may expand and contract, their lowerterminals forming jaws B which are normally contracted or closed, asshown in Fig. 1, so that the straws D supplied to the container may beretained in the latter.

The upper sides 13 are composed of the rims E which are secured to theends C and pieces F which are fitted in said rims and made to slide orotherwise move therefrom,

so as to open the sides and admit of the introduction ot' the strawsinto the container and made of glass or othertransparentmaterial so thatthe supply of straws may be seen through the same.

The upper portion or apex of the con tainer is suspended from the rod Gwhich is passed freely through the ends C and mounted on the upright ot'the stand H whereby the container may be turned to the right or left forpurposes requiring the same.

In the centers of the under ends ot the sides 1 is an upwardly extendingrecess J which expose the central portions of the lowermost straws asmost plainly shown in Fig. 1.

The operation is as follows :-\Vhcn straws are required the portions ofthe same at the recess J are grasped and drawn downwardly whereby thelower terminals or jaws B oi? the sides B are separated by the passageof the straws between the same and thus the straws emerge from said jawsat the exit of the container and so remain in the hand ready to beinserted in a drinking vessel. Meanwhile, the jaws close and so controlthe remaining straws in the container preventing dumping out of the somewhile the centers of the lowermost jaws appear at the recess J ready tobe grasped for abstraction trom the container when required, as in theprevious case, it being seen that the ends of the straws that have beenremoved have. been free from contact of the hand, and so may be placed.one end in the drinking vessel, and the other end inserted into themouth in cleanly condition. l urthermore, comparatively but a few of thelowermost straws may be grasped at the recess J, and thus there iseconomy in the supply of straws to the party abstracting the same, andan extravagant number of the st'aws may not be taken at one time, as isoften the case when the straws are in bundles in a vase, etc.

If desired, owing to the container being suspended on the rod G as anaxis, it may be swung or turned laterally to a party, so as to presentthe straws in most convenient manner at the side of the containerwhereby they may be withdrawn at said side instead of at the bottom asin Fig. 2, the operation, however, being the same as that previouslydescribed.

Tn Figs. 3 and 4, I show a box composed of the top K resilient sides Ldepending therefrom, ends M, on which said top is supported, and abottom N, which is secured to said ends M, the latter being continueddownwardly forming legs P, on which said box is supported. The sides Lare disconnected from the ends M, and bottom N, and their lowerterminals form the movable jaws Q, which are opposite to the side edgesR of the bottom N, as the stationary jaws of the box. In the lower edgesof the sides L and side edges of the bottom N, are upwardlyextendingregistering recesses S and '1 respectively which expose the portions ofthe straws intermediate of their ends to the party desiring to removethe same, and permit the straws to be grasped by hand at said portionsso that when the straws are drawn downwardly the jaws Q separate fromthe jaws R forming throats through which the straws that are grasped arewithdrawn, which being accomplished, thej aws Q close on said jaws R andprevent the further descent and withdrawal of straws until the jaws Qare again opened by the straws that are forcibly lowered from therecesses S, T. Ordinarily I only one or two straws will pass through thethroats of the aws, and thus there will be no material waste in thenumber of straws removed, thus economically dispensing the same. Thesides L have secured to them, pieces U of transparent material, whichadmit of inspection of the interior of the box,

similarly to Figs. 1 and 2. The top K, and

bottom N, are secured to the ends M by the angle braces V, which areriveted to said parts respectively, forming a firm connecto be separatedfrom below on the exit of the contents, the bottom of the containerhaving thereon intermediate of its ends a recess tor grasping purposes.

2. In adevice of the character stated, a

container, horizontal means at the upper portions of the ends thereofand a support for said horizontal means suspending said container andadmitting of swinging the same laterally, portions of the adjacent sidesof said container being integral with said N sides and resilientlyadapted to be separated from below the exit of the contents, portions ofsaid resilient members being cut away in alinement with each other toform a recess through which the contained articles are exposed inposition for grasping.

GLENN MEREDITH. Witnesses 1 JOHN A. VVIEDERsHmM, N. BUssINGnR. i

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

